The Gift

Have you ever been given a gift that has profoundly changed your life?

A gift so generous, appreciated, and unexpected that nothing will ever be the same as a result?

A gift that makes you wonder what you could have possibly done to deserve it?

A gift that you wish you could somehow repay but you know is impossible?

A gift of such value that there just aren’t words to express your gratitude?

The kind of gift that when you wake up in the morning, you’re wondering if it really happened or if it was all a dream?

The kind of gift causes you to think about what your life would be like had it never been given?

The kind of gift that has you so full of gratitude that you almost can’t believe it’s true?

I was having a conversation once with one of my uncles and I made the statement that it is truly more blessed to give than to receive. He said told me that while he knows that there is truth to that statement, he can’t help but think that it is more blessed to receive.

You see, while some of us are able to give gifts that profoundly change the lives of others in a way they wouldn’t otherwise experience, the gifts we give are all temporary. They are valued and appreciated beyond expression at times, but they won’t stand the test of time.

No matter how much of ourselves we give to another person, we cannot give them the gift of eternal life.

But that’s okay because someone else has. We all know the story of the Savior of the world who hung on a cross, bled, and died not just so that we might be washed clean of our sins but so that we might live eternally with Him.

The things is that sometimes we focus on the earthly and we forget about the heavenly.

Please don’t think that I am at all undermining the value of the blessings I have received in my life. I am not. I know that God is watching over me and using others to bless me. I know that the gifts I have been given in my life are a result of the labor of someone else’s hands. I know that I didn’t earn them, but that they were given to me out of love. And not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for both the gift and the giver.

What I am saying is that we should feel the same way about our gift of eternal life in Christ. Sure, it’s a little harder because it’s not tangible, yet it should have the same impact on our daily living.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much easier it is to appreciate the gifts we can see over the one that we can’t?

That’s the heart of what I wanted to share with you.

The gift of eternal life doesn’t diminish the earthly gifts we have been given. In fact, it should enhance them because we know from Whom all blessings truly flow.

Our appreciation for those who have blessed us doesn’t need to go by the way side. In fact, we can bring them in to our appreciation of the eternal by praying for them. For we know that it is God who has blessed our lives by placing them in ours.

These things need not compete with one another but live in harmony together.

So when you are taking stock of the gifts you have received, give thanks.

To God.

To the giver.

Enjoy the tangible blessings here on earth.

And remember to praise God for the intangible, untold blessings that await us for all of eternity.

To those of you who have blessed our lives in both the small ways and those that we are still in awe of, thank you. I know those are two tiny words, but there is a lifetime of love and appreciation packed into them.

To my Heavenly Father, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who have given us immeasurably and abundantly more than we could ever ask for or even comprehend on this side of heaven; Thank you. Like the old hymn says, I’ll never understand how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. I do, however, want to spend the rest of my life trying. I want to live a life that pours out thanks and adoration for all that You have given me.

To those of you who do not yet know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I want with all my heart for you to consider allowing Him into your life. Right now. Today. You don’t need to be a better person. You just need to invite Him in and He will make you who He created you to be.

29 Responses to The Gift

Very special post, and you’re so right about being thankful for the greatest gift in our lives…ETERNAL life. I sure do love and appreciate your perspective. Thank you for giving yourself away here to bless others…to bless me. XO

Thank you for this morning’s gift my daughter. While we tear open gifts we receive here and start enjoying them now, God has blessed us with our remaining time here to contemplate the depths of His eternal gift. We can only imagine what that day will be like. Will we stand in His presence or to our knees will we fall, will we sing hallelujah or will we be able to speak at all? We can only imagine what that day will be like(sorry, just had to break out in that song!) when we open our eternal gift!

Some days I wake up and all I feel like doing is thanking God continually for the gifts and the blessings he’s given me. Those are WONDERFUL days and I pray I can feel like that more often. I guess that’s a taste of heaven.

Thank you for sharing my friend.

You are a beautiful gift to me and to everyone who reads your encouraging words.

Wonderful! I treasure my time with God and what He’s done for me and my family, but there are times when I forget, and I get lazy. Thanks for your reminder of all we have to be thankful for, now and in eternity.

The Gospel pure and sweet.. yes! yes! yes! God bless your commitment to sharing the Gospel. You have inspired me to remember as I write, to keep the most important thing before me. God bless you and thank you for sharing this at Motivating and Rejuvenating Monday!

I love this post. I try to point this out to my readers a lot too, but I have never quite worded as well as you have here in this post! I hope it helps make people realize that we have received the most precious gift of all.

I love to be a giver, but you’re right, you have to be in a constant position of receiving His gift to be an effective giver. I don’t want to simply give that which is ultimately meaningless or fades to nothing. I want to offer His love, grace, and power–that which is eternal. Thanks Heather!